价格面数据显示压力集中在电与天然气：12 月电力与管道天然气的消费者价格年增 7.7%，几乎是整体通膨增速的 3 倍。NEADA（National Energy Assistance Directors Association）估算本冬季住户取暖成本将上升 9.2%，平均每户支出 $995（USD），高于去年的 $911（USD）。在 New York，隔日电价于周二上跳 31%，并连续第 3 天创纪录。
结构性驱动因素是 AI data centers 扩张推升用电需求；靠近 data centers 的社区，批发电价在 5 年内最高累计上升 267%。Virginia（全球最大 data centers 集中地）电价在去年截至 10 月上升 16.5%。PJM Interconnection LLC（覆盖 13 州电网）连续 3 次容量拍卖成本创新高，相关成本自 6 月起反映到月帐单；同时 Dominion Energy Inc. 表示典型住宅用户帐单今年增加 $11.24（USD），2027 年再增 $2.36（USD），而 Smith 已欠 Dominion Energy Inc. 超过 $1000（USD）。
The article timestamp is January 29, 2026 01:51 (UTC+8; original: GMT+8). As weekend temperatures fell below freezing (<0°C; original reference: 32°F) across the US, high energy costs led households to shut off heat and electricity: 27-year-old Jahdaya Francis in Yonkers, New York turned off radiators and relied on a small space heater, while 36-year-old Samantha Smith in Prince George, Virginia shut off power to half her home. Francis’s December heating bill exceeded $500 (USD) and Smith’s power costs exceeded $600 (USD), about 2–3× what they paid in summer.
Price data show pressure concentrated in electricity and gas: consumer prices for electricity and piped gas rose 7.7% in December from a year earlier, almost triple the pace of overall inflation. NEADA (National Energy Assistance Directors Association) calculates home-heating costs will rise 9.2% this winter, with the average household spending $995 (USD) versus $911 (USD) last year. In New York, next-day power prices jumped 31% on Tuesday, breaking records for a third straight day.
A structural driver is the AI data-center buildout increasing electricity demand; in communities near data centers, wholesale electricity prices have risen as much as 267% over five years. In Virginia (home to the world’s largest concentration of data centers), electricity prices rose 16.5% last year through October. PJM Interconnection LLC (a 13-state grid) saw three consecutive auctions reach record costs that began flowing into monthly bills starting in June; meanwhile Dominion Energy Inc. says a typical residential customer’s bill increases by $11.24 (USD) this year and $2.36 (USD) in 2027, while Smith owes Dominion Energy Inc. more than $1000 (USD).